The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1887-09-10

Addie was seventeen, two years younger
than her sister, and "A yellow-haired and
blue-eyed blonde. The apparition they
presented astonlshed us. think all the
men took off their hats instinctively.
know | did. And as my hat was a real
+ Mexican som bero, and matched the long
Mexican spurs that jingled on my heels,
! was rather fond of keeping it On my
head.
at was Ellen who spoke, the other
staying little behind. Sir she said,
in a troubled voice, you look like gen.
tleman. One of your men has taken our
guitar. 1t is all that we have left and it
is great consolation. Will you not be
good enough to have il returned?'
''The guitar was returned to her forth
with as quickly as the man could be found
who had it. She was protuse in her
thanks, and the light in the young Sis
ters eyes at the salvation of the instru-
ment indicated how highly it was valued.
The corn and supplies they did not ap-
pear to grieve over particularly, as | pre-
vented any destruction of the cribs or
any unnecessary damage to the property.
Consequently | was very Hospitality re-
ceived in the house. The family con-
sisted of an old gentleman named Sun
derland, his wife and three daughters.
Sunderland was well-to-do planter,
though too old to take arms. He was a
doctor by profession and Methodist
preacher by choice His family circle
Was, in its refinement and the beauty of
its girls, something charming, particu-
larly to horse soldier who for some
years had known only the roughness of
the camp. The eldest daughter was
married, her husband being captain in
the rebel army. The other two were
our fair petitioners, and with them l en-
joyed tiattering degree of popularity
from the start"
The Commanderin-C Chief stopped and
gazed with satisfied smile into the Ala
bama of twenty years ago.
"Well," he said, picking up the thread
of the story, 81 need only say that their
fate was in my hands, that is fair in love
and war, and that from that day forth l
simply owned the place-corrfie fields, mig
gars, guitars, and Methodist preacher all
included. And, gentlemen he
dwelt with some particular and meaning
emphasis upon the "and''-"she, Ellen,
was nineteen and was twenty. three.
"During the next two months all our
foragiDg somehow was in their direction
1t seemed, perhaps, to the horses that
everything available in the food line had
migrated to the district back of the Sum-
derland plantation, which had to be
passed in order to light on anything at
all. There was something about the Sun
derland Cuisine, too, that must have ap-
peared very tempting to my men, for l
did not willingly, believe, miss a meal.
Ellen and |, in fact, were constantly to-
gether. The old folks made no objec-
lection. The blue eyes of the golden
haired sister beamed the sweetest kind
of approval, the days were long, and the
twllights of the dim old fir woods per-
feet, and--I believe l mentioned the fact,
gentlemen" said the Commander-in-
Chief, with a sigh, THAT she was nine
teen and was twenty-three.
Il might remark parenthetlcally that
there is nothing in life quite so fascinat-
ing as to be isolated in the wilderness in
company with a beautiful woman. Sew
eral books have been written with that
one idea to carry them, and, like Charles
Reade's Foul Play they have always
caught the public's eye. There was no
sentimental talk between us. The crack
OF the guerrilla rifle, the distant boom of
battle, the war smoke in the air, and the
period when no one knew what day
might bring forth were very i'll adapted
for sincere love making, and that any
thing in the shape of man could have
made love to Ellen Sunderland lnsin-
cerely it would take pretty bitter cynic
to believe. But We were together none
the less; together when the tree shadows
crept slowly across the hot, still, brown
fields as the sun sank lower and lower
toward the mountains SUBMITS; together
in the stiffness and loneliness of the moss
grown aisles of the woods; in the noon
tide heat; together when the biz, round
harvest moon hung still and shimmering
like great shield of gold balanced
against the black velvet wall of the au.
tumn night universe. What we said, and
what we did, and what we thought, it
matters not. 1t would be to You very
like chestnut, perhaps, to dwell upon
it. Every woman knows who has ever
been nineteen; every man remembers
who knew what it was to be twenty
three.
"Well, one day when l entered the
house | had surprise. had hea d ru-
mors of there being a wounded rebel
officer in hiding at the Sunderlands. |
had paid no attention TO them, however,
believing them to be without foundation.
But on this day, entering the house as
usual without KNOCKING, opened the
first door on the right hand side of the
hall, which ran through the house.
There was large fireplace in this room
on the side opposite the door. AS l
stepped in l saw an easy chair, high
backed, in front of the fire. | was in
stantly conscious in some way-for | GER
tainly saw nothing of him-that a man,
and stranger, was sitting in that chair
did not attempt to see any more. |
stepped out, closed the door, and quietly
took chair in the sitting room opposite.
In moment or two the eldest daughter
came in hurriedly, pale aud agitated.
"'Mr.-" she gasped, did you so into
the other room ?"
81 did, said l.
odd you see anybodl?'
81 did not, l answered very quietly.
She looked me squarely in the eye. l
looked squarely back. She bowed and,
apparently relieved, passed out.
''She had scarcely gone before Addie
came in. She was confused at seeing me
in the sitting room.
"Oh, Mr. she said, and then
stopped in perplexity.
"What is IT.? | asked.
81 was going to ask-I-that jS-did